Pressure to End Dues Deduction Rises
Texas GOP Chair Tom Mechler: “We don’t think the unions should be getting special treatment like they are right now. It’s inappropriate that they give the unions special treatment that nobody else gets.”
(Photo: TomMechler.com)
Tom Mechler, the newly elected chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, is all for passage of SB 1968, a bill that would end the practice of automatic payroll deductions for labor union dues for the majority of public-sector unions in Texas, claiming it will “restore fairness to the negotiating process.”
“We don’t think the unions should be getting special treatment like they are right now,” Mechler told Breitbart Texas. “It’s inappropriate that they give the unions special treatment that nobody else gets.”
Currently, there is an exception for police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel, whose unions will still be able to use automatic paycheck withdrawals to collect their dues. Mechler has said he expects police and fire unions to stay on the sidelines since they were exempted from the proposed legislation.
The bill would apply to state, county, and municipal employees, including employees of community colleges, universities, and school districts. But most experts agree that once this bill has passed, there will be another law proposed to take away the rights of public safety employees as well.
SB 1968 amends Chapter 617, Texas Government Code, to add a new Section 617.006, titled “Prohibition on Collection of Labor Organization Dues,” as follows:
Except as provided by Sections 141.008 and 155.001, Local Government Code, and Sections 403.0165 and 659.1031, Government Code, the state or a political subdivision of the state may not deduct or withhold, or contract to deduct or withhold, from an employee’s salary or wages payment of dues or membership fees to a labor organization or other similar entity, including a trade union, labor union, employees’ association, or professional organization.
In essence, what SB 1968 would do is end the practice of labor union dues from being automatically withheld from the paychecks of government employees.
If passed, SB 1968 is expected to have a substantial financial impact on public-sector unions, and therefore on their political activities. Unions have historically supported Democrat or liberal candidates, and often throw significant resources at influencing elections, not just with direct monetary contributions, but by providing additional manpower to walk precincts, call voters, and work at polling places.
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